FAQ

How does the Drinking Bird work?

Everyone has seen the drinking bird in all its glory, but how does it work? Well, there is more to it that you would think!

1. The water evaporates from the felt on the head.
2. Evaporation lowers the temperature of the glass head (heat of vaporization).
3. The temperature decrease causes some of the dichloromethane vapor in the head to condense.
4. The lower temperature and condensation together cause the pressure to drop in the head (by the ideal gas law).
5. The higher vapor pressure in the warmer base pushes the liquid up the neck.
6. As the liquid rises, the bird becomes top heavy and tips over.
7. When the bird tips over, the bottom end of the neck tube rises above the surface of the liquid.
8. A bubble of warm vapor rises up the tube through this gap, displacing liquid as it goes.
9. Liquid flows back to the bottom bulb (the toy is designed so that when it has tipped over the neck's tilt allows this), and pressure equalizes between the top and bottom bulbs
10. The weight of the liquid in the bottom bulb restores the bird to its vertical position
11. The liquid in the bottom bulb is heated by ambient air, which is at a temperature slightly higher than the temperature of the bird's head.

Boredom Busters

 
Go Camping

Fall is just around the corner, so try to get out and enjoy the summer weather by going out an camping. It is always so much fun to snuggle up in your sleeping bag and look at stars out in the wilderness. Don't forget the S'mores!

Use a Magnet for Science Experiments
Magents are one of the coolest things out there. Use a magnet to see what is magnetic and what is not. Try to measure the strength of a magnet, or even learn about magnetic fields and polarization
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Make a Puppet
Puppet shows are always so much fun and they can be even better if you make your own characters! You can use whatever your want! Paper bags or socks make great puppets. Add some googly eyes and yarn to make a silly face and come up with a story for them to act out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a kite stay in the sky?

Have you ever wondered what makes a kite fly? Well it comes down to two different things; lift and gravity. Gravity is what makes things fall down, if you take a ball in your hand and let go of it, it drops to the grounds. Lift is when the wind pushes against an object and carries it into the sky like when a plastic bag catches a breeze and floats around the sky. A careful balance of both of these things is what keeps a kite in the sky. Next time when the winds feel right, give flying a kite a try and enjoy the wonder of gravity and lift working together to keep that guy in the sky!